


Vanilla Lavender

by yookihyunnieX



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Asexual Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Gen, M/M, Slice of Life, it's just really soft, wholesome and pure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 18:41:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18580333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yookihyunnieX/pseuds/yookihyunnieX
Summary: Kihyun's been overworked and stressed at work, and Changkyun notices the toll it's taking on his partner. More than anything, he wants to give Kihyun a night of relaxation and demonstrate how much he loves him. Sometimes it's the smallest of gestures that show the biggest feelings of love.





	Vanilla Lavender

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LordRichard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordRichard/gifts).



> This is long overdue <3 for my friend Castillia
> 
> ((no sex, but some nudity. no descriptions of genitalia. pre-approved by my ace QPP and beta, Theo<3 thank you sm, bub))
> 
> Thanks for reading <3

Kihyun had been  _ stressed _ the past month, and when Changkyun looked at his partner, he felt the anxiety pulsing through him. He’d been preparing for a federal audit at his workplace and staying up late to make sure all of his case notes were  _ perfect _ and, of course, he wasn’t billing for working overtime. 

_ Freaking social work. _ Changkyun could never do it and he admired his partner’s ability to work so relentlessly for such little pay. 

Tonight, Kihyun was hunched over his laptop on the couch, coffee perched high on the end table, steam diminishing from his burgundy mug. Their puppy Goober, a grey French bulldog, was fast asleep in the nook between Kihyun’s crossed legs and the armrest. 

Goober’s name was  _ technically _ Phil, named by Kihyun, who wanted their dog to be “dapper”. But right after they agreed on the name Phil, Kihyun reached down and grabbed the puppy’s loose grey cheeks and said, “What an adorable little goober!” and, so, Changkyun refused to call him anything else.

Goober had taken quickly to Changkyun but now, with all of Kihyun’s late nights, the pup never left Kihyun’s side. The precious baby bean. He must’ve sensed Kihyun’s tension, and Goober’s presence seemed to really relax Kihyun. 

Changkyun watched as Kihyun reached to pet the sleeping puppy behind the ear, eyes flickering across the brightly lit screen, scanning for typos. His forehead had that crease between his eyebrows that appeared whenever Kihyun was concentrating. It was interestingly heart-warming. Changkyun loved him so  _ much _ .

“Babe?” Changkyun called gently from where he’d been reading in the adjacent loveseat. 

Kihyun raised a finger, suggesting to wait a moment. Not harshly. Just asking for a second more to finish his task. In the meantime, Changkyun placed a bookmark where he left off.

He watched as Kihyun scrolled down a touch, scanned a few more lines, then clicked to save the note. Kihyun looked up to him, eyebrow raised with a small smile. “What’s up, Kyun?” his partner asked, reaching to sip from his coffee.

“How late do you think you’ll be up tonight? Are you close to being done?” Maybe Changkyun was a little bit selfish, but if he could fall asleep in Kihyun’s arms, he’d prefer that to falling asleep alone any night. 

“Hmm, I’m almost where I want to be for this client. I have maybe two or three more notes for her.” Kihyun set down his mug and tilted his head, just slightly. “Why do you ask?”

Changkyun smiled sheepishly. “I wanted to cuddle with you.”

“Okay, Snugglebug, I’ll try to finish up quickly,” Kihyun replied with a small smile, then turned back to click around and get to the next screen. He looked so studious with his thick rimmed glasses, and Changkyun’s mind flashed back to when they first lived together in college. 

Kihyun was a year ahead in school, but he and Changkyun took an ethics class together Changkyun’s sophomore year and became fast friends. They chose to be roommates the following year, over the course of which they started a romantic relationship. Kihyun’s roommate from freshman year, Minhyuk, was  _ convinced _ that the “And they were roommates!” vine was about the two of them.

After Kihyun’s graduation, he lived with his parents as he started working to save some money. Changkyun came over whenever his class load allowed it and Kihyun visited him in the dorm, too, bringing homemade meals. Anything beat cafeteria food, but  _ Kihyun’s cooking?  _ Absolutely delicious.

After his own graduation and working for a while, they were already more or less alternating whose place they stayed at for the night, so living together just made sense _. _

They looked around, found a small charming home for rent, and immediately fell in love with it. They’d been living there for two years now.

Kihyun looked up to Changkyun and smiled. Changkyun hadn’t even realized he was smiling at his partner, lost in memories of them together, until he went to smile back at him to find he already was.

As Kihyun turned his gaze back to the screen of his laptop, Changkyun wanted to do something  _ more _ for him. Something to help him relax before bed, so maybe Kihyun’s night wouldn’t be as sleepless as the last. 

He had an idea.

“Join me when you’re ready, okay, love?” Changkyun stood and set his book aside.

“‘Kay,” his partner replied. Changkyun walked behind the couch, heading towards their room, and leaned over the back of the couch to kiss his cheek. Kihyun slightly tilted his chin, offering his cheek to be kissed, a small grin on his lips. Changkyun loved it when he did that.

Goober must have woken up at the sound of movement, because his wrinkly little face was wide-eyed looking up at them.

“Hey, lil Goob,” Changkyun chimed. The puppy tilted his head at him. “Come on,” he called. “Come with me.” Goober jumped down from the couch and ran around to Changkyun’s feet. “I’ll put him to bed, Ki.”

“Okay, bye, Philly Billy. Be there in a sec, Kyun.”

In their room, Changkyun grabbed the bag of treats and went to the crate, Goober on his heels.

“Kennel.” He wanted to sound commanding, but not too intimidating. Goober just kind of looked back up at him; Changkyun sighed. Training was a work in progress. Changkyun took out a treat and the puppy’s ears perked up a bit. “Kennel,” he tried again, successfully this time. Goober walked into the crate and was rewarded with a treat, buying Changkyun enough time to secure the latch.

“God, you’re so  _ cute. _ ” Changkyun desperately wanted to scoop the pup into his arms and cuddle him under the blankets, but Kihyun thought it important to set the boundary that he sleep in his crate. Changkyun figured his partner was probably right.

Kihyun was right about a lot of things: training Goober to use a bell to signal a need to “ _ go potty?! _ ”; listening to Angus and Julia Stone on rainy days; keeping the heat on a low 66℉ while they were out of the house; making the bed in the mornings; using coasters…

_ Changkyun _ was right about loving Kihyun.

Because, while it made very little sense to make a bed you were going to sleep in anyway, loving  _ him _ made perfect sense.

Conversations with Kihyun made him think about things he’d never considered, in an entirely new perspective. He was incredibly intelligent, and not just in the classroom. Kihyun could enter a room of new people and, within seconds, have a read on everyone there. Changkyun considered himself to be quickly sociable and empathetic, but Kihyun interacted with people in a way Changkyun hadn’t seen before. His ease in finding comfort and acceptance in new social situations is something Changkyun both admired and envied. 

Kihyun had a way of making everyone feel valued. Especially Changkyun.

When Changkyun was introduced to Kihyun’s friends, he felt like he was on top of the world. Kihyun raved about Changkyun’s personality traits like he’d earned Best Partner in the book of world records, and recited his accomplishments like a proud soccer mom.

He was like that when it was just the two of them, too. Changkyun had long ago lost count of the times Kihyun had randomly texted him encouraging reminders of his love.

_ “I love you! You’re intelligent and creative, and your ability to adapt to new situations is astounding. You can totally handle this!!!” _

_ “Hey, cutie!! Don’t forget to take time to breathe today. You’re fantastic at your job!! Remember that you were hired because you’re competent and best for the job!! Hang in there.” _

_ “Kyunkyun, I love you!! I can’t wait to see you later and give you the biggest hug!!” _

Kihyun really loved his exclamation points.

In person, Kihyun told him these things while holding Changkyun’s cheeks like the most precious trophy. With Kihyun’s hands cupping his face, Changkyun couldn’t help but grin.

_ “Changkyun, my love _ ,” he would start.  _ “You are one of the most generous and kind-hearted people I know. You are thoughtful and sweet as can be. You constantly challenge me to try new and exciting things, and I’m glad to have met you. Thank you for being in my life. Still.” _

_ “Always, _ ” Changkyun would reply.

Kihyun made him feel so completely loved, like he was the most important person on the planet.

Tonight, Changkyun wanted to give Kihyun that same feeling.

He went into their bathroom and turned on their diffuser; puffs of lavender essential oil dispersed into the air. He set his phone to a Vancouver Sleep Clinic playlist and hummed along as he opened the closet and pulled out two fluffy grey towels, one dark charcoal and the other a lighter fossil grey. He hung them over the towel rod, careful not to damage the leaves of the nearby string of heart. 

Kihyun was going through a plant phase, so there were vines and succulents in every corner of their home. Changkyun left their care to Kihyun after learning that plants can, in fact, be  _ over _ watered (that poor, poor jade).

This particular rosary vine was potted in a hanging pot, hooked over the curtain rod of their shower. It was beautiful and delicate and complemented their quaint bathroom, just as Kihyun thought it would. 

Changkyun pulled back their shower curtain, a silvery grey design with small dark plum dots ( _ he _ was the one that found this curtain, and it was the very last one,  _ thank you very much _ ), and turned on the water to get the temperature just right. Just as the room filled with the perfect ratio of lavender scent and steam from the shower, Kihyun popped his head in. 

“One order of snuggles, ready for delivery!” he said with a grin. Kihyun was so  _ cheesy _ .

“Ah, but first,” Changkyun replied, elegantly sweeping his arm to gesture to the shower, “would you care to join me?”

Kihyun stepped into the room, fingers daintily on his chest. “The honor is mine.”

They both giggled and kissed before getting undressed and stepping beneath the warm water.

“It smells  _ amazing _ in here,” Kihyun sighed, rinsing his hair under the showerhead. Lavender was meant to be a relaxing scent, so Changkyun counted Kihyun’s statement as a victory.

“I turned on the diffuser,” he replied, grinning. “Here, let me wash your hair.” He pumped out a dollop of their argan oil shampoo and got a lather going in his hands before moving to Kihyun’s scalp. 

Kihyun chuckled as Changkyun worked his fingers through his partner’s hair. “Why all the personal attention?” he asked.

“Because I know you’ve been stressed prepping for the audit. And because you deserve all the attention in the world.” Okay, so Changkyun could be cheesy too. 

Kihyun grinned and gave Changkyun a quick kiss on the cheek. “You’re sweet,” he hummed, closing his eyes. 

Changkyun washed out the shampoo and added a nice conditioning mask to Kihyun’s dark brown hair. He deserved the best.

Next, he warmed Kihyun’s purple loofah and squeezed body wash onto it: a vanilla lavender blend to fit the relaxing theme of the night.

“I can wash myself, Kyun, it’s okay.” Kihyun’s smile was sheepish as he said it.

“I’d like to if you’ll let me,” Changkyun assured him. Their relationship was asexual and, while they felt comfortable in the presence of each other’s naked bodies, Changkyun was usually more comfortable with touching than Kihyun. It was always best to ask.

Kihyun seemed to consider it for a moment. “Okay,” he decided, “that’s fine.”

“Yeah?” Changkyun wanted to confirm.

“Yeah,” Kihyun replied, smiling. He lifted his arms as if to say,  _ Here you go. _

Changkyun smiled back and began by washing Kihyun’s slightly extended arms. When it was time to clean Kihyun’s back, rather than turning around, he stepped closer to Changkyun, curling himself into his arms. Changkyun brought his partner into a hug, squeezing him tightly. Kihyun hugged him back and settled his face near Changkyun’s ear.

“Thank you, Changkyun,” he whispered, barely audible over the water and soft music. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Kihyun,” Changkyun whispered back.

They stood like that for a while, wrapped in each other’s arms, warm water surrounding them. Simply feeling each other and the moment they shared.

When their embrace ended, Changkyun finished the task of delicately washing his partner’s body. He grabbed the face wash and gave Kihyun’s cheeks a little pinch as he applied it. 

“Hey!” Kihyun laughed, and the sound was so sweet.

“Hey yourself,” Changkyun replied, giving a boop to Kihyun’s nose. They both giggled and Changkyun was reminded, once again, of how beautiful Kihyun looked when he smiled.

As they stepped out of the shower, Changkyun grabbed the closest towel and pulled Kihyun into it, and into another hug. 

“Aren’t you cold?” Kihyun asked. Changkyun hadn’t grabbed his own towel yet.

“Are  _ you _ warm?” He replied.

“Yeah."

“Then it’s worth it.”

Kihyun just laughed in response. “Come on, Changkyun, you’re gonna freeze!”

“Fine, fine,” he sighed, releasing Kihyun and reaching for his towel.

Once dry, the two moved to their shared bedroom to get dressed. Changkyun pulled out what he knew to be Kihyun’s favorite and most comfortable pajamas.

Kihyun giggled upon seeing his selection. “ _ Egg _ -cellent choice.” It was his Gudetama onesie. It was ridiculous and silly, but Kihyun was so happy when he wore that egg onesie, and Changkyun was forever proud that he’d gifted it to Kihyun for his birthday a few years back.

After the two donned their favorite pajamas, Changkyun switched off the light and climbed into bed beside his partner. They curled into each other, foreheads close, but not quite touching.

“Hey, Snugglebug,” Kihyun whispered. “Thank you for tonight. I really needed this.”

“Mhmm,” Changkyun hummed. 

“And thank you for loving me. Still.”

Changkyun leaned in and gave Kihyun a gentle kiss.

“Always,” he replied. “Always.”


End file.
